BODRUM MARITIME MUSEUM


The Maritime Museum of Bodrum sheds light on Bodrum's maritime history with Bodrum type boat models, 6000 seashells belonging to the world seas and the collection of Cevat Sakir Kabaagacli...

The museum laid the foundations when a tent was set up in front of Bodrum Castle and 18 different Bodrum model boats were exhibited there in 2010. Since the 15thOctober 2011, Bodrum has been witnessing the maritime history in the old bazaar building called “bedesten” renewed as a museum. 

Cevat Sakir Kabaagacli! If the Maritime Museum of Bodrum is to be mentioned, is the first name to be mentioned. The personal belongings, photos and historical documents of the fisherman of Halicarnassus, artist, journalist, researcher, illustrator, whocontributed countless works to Turkish Literature and who was relegated to Bodrum in 1925, are at the exhibition. 

“Yatagan”, the favourite boat of the fisherman of Halicarnassus, who completed the exhibition, and the boat “Halikarnaslim”, where his body was sailed between the bays as a good bye before the burial, drag the visitors on a sad voyage in the blue depths for a while.  

On the foundation of the Maritime Museum of Bodrum and its current situation today, Ali Kemal Denizaslani, who modelled the boats with one-to-one construction techniques being faithful to the originals, has a big share. The model boats in the museum were built by, Denizaslani, the master craftsman. They are all about manual labour with many fine details; from the wooden motor, to the crane and the water tankers; all made in accordance with the originals. The first gullet made in Bodrum, “Mustafa Tratasi”, is also among those boats on display. 

When Ali Kemal Denizaslani goes to Crete, he visits the maritime museum in Chania. During this visit; he takes umbrage at the Greeks, who dispatched in exchange, saying “Herodotus, Artemisia and the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus are ours, what did you add to Bodrum?” and begins to plan how to realise a maritime museum in Bodrum. His wife Zehra Denizaslani becomes his tower of strength. He has laboured on all the models on display at the museum. All the riggings and sponge sacks are his work. After serious field work, they start to work with the boat photos found. Despite all efforts, photos of some boats cannot be found. Denizaslan is pushing his memory and with the lack of information from his childhood, the legendary fisherman’s boat “Yatagan” comes to existence. After working nights in their house returning to a studio; the legendary boats get ready to be a part of the museum.  

The Maritime Museum of Bodrum hosts just about 6000 sea shells collected from various seas around the world. The unique collection of seashells donated by Hasan Güleşçi does not have a similar kind in our country. The collection includes sea shells dating back 460 million years. 

Selen Cambazoğlu, the young museum manager who is a captain and dive instructor, is a graduate of archaeology and art history, who is also familiar with the underwater excavations from childhood, gives us a piece of good news that there will be a number of innovations In the museum before the season.

The paintings of Turgutreis and Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha, donated by the Istanbul Maritime Museum, will also take place in the museum soon. Besides, the models of the battleships; Bodrum and Turgutreis will also model one of the first battleships of Turkey for the Maritime Museum of Bodrum. 

The museum, where the maritime history is on display on the walls, also hosts various seminars and events throughout the year.